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GRC Wave Graphics

NIS2 Compliance

Understanding Your NIS2 Scope, Requirements & Risk Exposure
Speak to an expert Am I in scope?

Turning regulatory pressure into operational confidence under NIS2 compliance

The NIS2 Directive is the EU’s updated cybersecurity legislation, replacing the original NIS framework and setting out new requirements for essential and important entities across the EU, as defined in the official NIS2 Directive published on the EU’s legal portal. A key question organisations are asking is: who does NIS2 apply to, and how do we determine whether we are in scope?

What are the NIS2 compliance requirements?

The NIS2 Directive introduces enhanced cybersecurity, governance, and risk management obligations for essential and important entities across the EU. Organisations must implement proportionate technical, operational and organisational measures to meet NIS2 compliance requirements. These include:

Formal cybersecurity risk management frameworks
Incident detection and reporting within strict timelines
Supply chain and third-party risk controls
Business continuity and crisis management arrangements
Security testing and assurance activities
Board-level accountability and management responsibility

Am I in scope?

NIS2 applies to medium and large organisations operating in sectors classified as essential or important entities under the Directive. This includes energy, transport, healthcare, financial services, digital infrastructure, manufacturing, cloud providers and managed service providers operating within the EU.

Check NIS2 Scope

Common NIS2 compliance challenges

Organisations preparing for NIS2 compliance typically face practical gaps against the directive’s core requirements, including:

  • Unclear interpretation of NIS2 risk management measures

  • Limited oversight of third-party and supply chain security

  • Incident response processes that do not meet NIS2 incident reporting timelines

  • Lack of documented management accountability and governance evidence

  • Security controls in place, but insufficient audit trail and regulatory evidence

NIS2 brings these issues into focus. The challenge is not whether security exists, but whether it meets the directive’s expectations and can be clearly demonstrated to regulators.

Our approach: clear, structured, and practical

We take a journey-based approach to NIS2, meeting you where you are today and guiding you forward with confidence.

We help you confirm whether NIS2 applies, how it applies, and what “good” looks like for your organisation, based on sector, size, and risk profile.

We map your existing controls against NIS2 requirements to identify gaps, remediation priorities and implementation effort.

We support the design and implementation of proportionate controls, processes, and documentation, aligned to NIS2 and integrated with existing frameworks such as ISO 27001, DORA, and operational resilience.

Compliance isn’t just about design, it’s about confidence.
We help you test response capabilities, validate controls, and build evidence that stands up to regulatory scrutiny.

NIS2 is ongoing. We provide continued support to help you remain compliant, resilient, and audit-ready as expectations evolve.

How GRC Solutions supports NIS2 compliance

Our NIS2 services are designed to be modular and scalable, allowing you to focus on what matters most.

  • NIS2 Readiness & Gap Assessments
  • Risk Management & Governance Alignment
  • Third-Party & Supply Chain Risk Management
  • Incident Response Planning & Testing
  • Breach Resilience & Attack Simulation
  • Business Continuity & Operational Resilience
  • Cloud & Information Security Alignment
  • Ongoing Managed GRC & Compliance Support
  • NIS2 Representative Services

This ensures NIS2 doesn’t sit in isolation, it strengthens your wider security and resilience posture.

Why organisations choose GRC Solutions

We’re not here to overwhelm you with regulation or deliver shelf-ware. Our focus is on practical outcomes.

Regulatory Clarity

Clear interpretation of NIS2 requirements

Risk Proportion

Proportionate, risk-based implementation

Standards Alignment

Strong alignment with existing standards and controls

Practical Validation

Real-world testing, not theoretical assurance

Ongoing Partnership

Long-term partnership, not one-off delivery

NIS2 as a foundation for resilience

When approached correctly, NIS2 becomes more than a regulatory obligation. It becomes a framework for improving how your organisation manages risk, responds to incidents, and protects critical services. Our role is to help you realise that value, calmly, clearly, and effectively.

NIS2 Compliance FAQs

NIS2 is the EU’s updated Network and Information Security Directive that strengthens cybersecurity and resilience requirements for organisations operating in critical and important sectors. It applies to medium and large organisations in areas such as energy, transport, healthcare, financial services, digital infrastructure, cloud services, and managed service providers operating within the EU.

The cost of NIS2 compliance varies depending on organisational size, sector, existing cybersecurity maturity, and regulatory exposure. For most mid-sized organisations, costs typically include risk assessments, governance improvements, security controls, training, and independent assurance. Organisations that already operate frameworks such as ISO 27001 often require lower investment, while less mature environments may need more extensive support.

NIS2 does not directly apply to organisations operating solely within the UK. However, UK businesses that provide services in the EU, operate EU-based infrastructure, or form part of EU supply chains may still fall within scope. Many UK organisations are also aligning with NIS2 as best practice to meet client and partner expectations.

NIS2 compliance requirements include risk management measures, incident reporting obligations, supply chain security controls, governance oversight and documented evidence of operational resilience.

Penalties for non-compliance can include significant administrative fines, regulatory sanctions, mandatory corrective actions, and increased regulatory oversight. Maximum fines are defined at EU level and applied through national enforcement frameworks by individual member states.

Preparation typically begins with a structured gap assessment to identify weaknesses against NIS2 requirements. This is followed by improvements to risk management processes, governance structures, incident response capabilities, supplier oversight, and evidence management. Independent assessments can help organisations prioritise actions and accelerate readiness.

NIS2 applies to “essential” and “important” entities across sectors such as energy, transport, banking, healthcare, digital infrastructure, cloud computing, public administration, and managed services. Coverage is determined by organisational size, risk profile, and national classifications set by each member state.

ISO 27001 is an international standard for information security management systems, while NIS2 is a legally binding regulatory directive. ISO 27001 provides a structured framework that supports NIS2 compliance, but it does not replace regulatory obligations. Many organisations use ISO 27001 as a foundation for meeting NIS2 requirements.

Regulators typically expect documented risk assessments, security policies, governance records, incident management procedures, supplier risk controls, staff training records, and audit trails that demonstrate the effectiveness of security and resilience controls.

NIS2 does not mandate a specific certification scheme. However, organisations can demonstrate compliance through independent assessments, internal audits, and alignment with recognised standards such as ISO 27001. Independent assurance can strengthen regulatory and stakeholder confidence.